Fear Itself
by Synonymia
Summary: A trip to Disney's California Adventure sours and Phoenix is in some ways an inconsiderate dolt. Emphasis on the dolt.


**Fear Itself**

"Hey, Nick! You think the _Cocina Cucamonga_ has burgers?"

"Don't know. Haven't been here in years," was Phoenix's reply. Sometimes he had to wonder whether the spirit medium actually heard herself, somewhere in that tangled mess of what was sure to be a hell of an imaginative little world. "…Somehow I doubt that they do, though. The closest you'll probably get is a hamburguesa."

It was all part of her personality though, and it was rather charming in a way. For a man who had grown up an only child is was strange to have someone who was almost a sister thrust upon him at the first time at the age of twenty-four.

Still, he couldn't believe she was actually hungry. The girl was unstoppable when it came to food and it seemed that not even the near 200 foot vertical drop of The Tower of Terror could stop her.

Or at least cause her to sit down and take a break.

Yet there she stood with Pearls at her side, anxious to catch a glimpse of the colorful theme park's map spread. Even the nine year old seemed unfazed. It occurred to him that maybe he was just getting old. Soon he'd be spouting grey hair and finding tea more interesting than beer and—

Reality and the past fifteen minutes snapped back into focus and Phoenix realized just what had transpired. Miles Edgeworth. The Tower of Terror. A simulated elevator _nightmare_ come to life. Just… what had he been an accomplice to? He held back an involuntary shudder as he turned around and found the other man, standing off to the side of the ride's entrance. Glaring.

If looks could kill, Phoenix would have been struck dead there where he stood: surrounded by countless children who would most likely require years of therapy upon witnessing such a scene. _'It all began on my eleventh birthday when a man dropped dead right before my eyes, right there at the Disneyland resort.'_

Of course, if Edgeworth were capable of such great feats, the defense attorney, along with a good portion of the Greater Los Angeles area would be long dead. Still, the look that the man wore had to be a personal new record in fury. Phoenix watched a white-clad cleaning lady move to sweep around his feet before scuttling away with a less than mighty, "eep." He gulped.

"You guys go on ahead. I need to go collect Edgeworth before someone assumes he's a lost tourist."

Maya turned around and made a face in protest before meeting his gaze and reading what wasn't explicitly said. He thought she would figure it out; had hoped so at least. Though she often had the tendency to get caught up in her own little world of cartoons and juicy cheeseburgers, she wasn't stupid. The Fey women really _were_ something else.

"C'mon, Pearly! We'll go have some girl-time to ourselves." She clasped her hands together, mind and stomach clearly going at full speed, "And ice cream!"

The little girl's eyes lit up before falling beyond Phoenix, no doubt on the unmoving form of Miles. "Mr. Edgeworth sure looks awfully mad. Maybe his throat hurts from all that screaming. We should get him some ice cream, too!" Pearl didn't seem to notice him wincing at the realization of who, exactly, had been screaming in complete and utter terror every time the ride plummeted down a few stories. Instead she turned to follow her cousin. "Don't keep Mystic Maya waiting!"

Which… left Phoenix _there._ Standing among happy families and camera wielding tourists and children with balloons and grown men in animal costumes. He crossed asphalt cobblestones and an optical illusion, nausea inducing faux-backlot. It felt like an eternity or possibly a death sentence.

"Have you come to laugh, Wright?"

Well, that was moderately predictable.

Edgeworth's hands were pressed into his overcoat, fists most likely clenched tight enough to form diamonds. Oh, he was mad. Mad and embarrassed. Phoenix had long ago learned what the other man acted like when he hit this level of sheer negative emotion. "After all. _Pearl_ wasn't even frightened and I couldn't take it. So go on. That's why you came back. Laugh. I'm not stopping you."

"Listen, Miles. I'm sor--"

"I can't say I'm all that sure about the veracity of that comment," he spat and Phoenix momentarily thought of volcanoes blowing their tops and snapping faultlines. Miles Edgeworth's fury was as strong and irrational as any force of nature. Like Mt St Helens in a way.

"I wasn't thinking."

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, suddenly content to focus on a wall of nearby bushes. "Clearly not."

Or maybe he was more like some sort of molten caldera. Less explosive and more simmering to everyone's eventual untimely demise. The middle of a crowded theme park seemed like a bad place for such a demise to happen, though. Phoenix moved to grab him, not entirely sure if he wanted to hug him or shake some sense into his rigid frame. Edgeworth made sure neither happened, though, twisting around and fully facing said line of bushes.

"Do you honestly think I would get you on that ride to _taunt_ you?"

The lack of a definitive answer made Phoenix throw his hands up in sheer exasperation. As if he didn't already feel like 'dad for the day' every time Pearl and Maya wanted a churro… or a bag of popcorn… or a turkey leg. Now he had _Edgeworth_ acting like a sullen child. He did feel partially to blame, though, being the only one of their group to have even visited California Adventure.

"That bad?" he asked, hesitantly.

Edgeworth didn't look his way. "Terrible."

"And…"

"I was terrified, Wright. I thought I was going to die."

"They spend millions of dollars here to make sure you _don't_ die, you do realize." He tried not to think of certain… accidents he had heard about in his teens.

"Don't patronize me. I know it isn't real."

"So…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Phoenix sighed and thrust his hands into the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt. It figured. In the back of his mind, he couldn't see this day ending on a high note… Something had to happen to jinx it in the end and thankfully the girls were with him because otherwise Miles would probably just hop back into that sports car and leave him in Anaheim and then not speak to him for at least--

"I know you didn't do it on purpose." He still wasn't daring to look his friend in the eye, but Phoenix could tell that a good deal of the anger had left him. Or maybe he had just realized how childish he was being. The look Miles was tentatively giving him out of the corner of his eye sealed that as fact. "We should head back. Doesn't Maya have your wallet?"

Phoenix bit back a curse He had forgotten letting her hold onto it for the day. By now they were probably playing boardwalk games with his bus fare. And that's when he had an idea. With one fluid motion he reached forward and grabbed his friend's hand, pulling him behind in a brisk walk.

"Wright, what are you doing? People are--"

He deigned not to answer for a bit, before finally breaking the silence as they found themselves drawing closer to the pier. "I'm going to make it up to you."

"Making it up to me. You don't have…"

"I know." And then they were there, in front of the near empty line for the stationary section of the Sun Wheel.

"A ferris wheel. I thought you weren't fond of heights."

Phoenix grinned. "I know how to take care of _my_ fears."

Before Edgeworth could ask what he was remotely getting at, he was pulled down into the ride's gondola, the cage door shutting behind him.

"Fear will be the least of my concerns."

The look in Phoenix's bright blue eyes and the half growl that accompanied his words as the ride began its ascent spoke volumes.


End file.
